PlanetQuest.An historic timeline of Mankind's awareness and discovery of other planets. A most excellent resource by NASA.

We choose the Moon.2009 was the 40th anniversary of the first lunar landing. This superb website was set up to commemorate that historic event. The mission is recreated in precise detail right from pre-launch with actual voiceovers. You can change the views and also click on hotspots to view related media galleries. The site is divided into 11 sections where you can watch photos, videos, and other archival content.

Apollo 11.Google Earth Tour that describes the landing, moon walks, and the return to space of Apollo 11 with excellent visual aids and great narrations.

Explore Mars now.Landing on Mars is an inevitability. This website simulates a tour through the Martian landscape and a human colonized habitat. The walkthrough is a lesson in the science, technology, and design challenges that will be required to land man on the Red Planet.

Build an atom.Build interactively your favourite atom. (You've got one, don't you?). Tip: hit the "Next" button to the bottom, scroll up, and then hit "Enter" in your keyboard consecutively to not no have to scroll vertically anymore.

How plastics work.Plastics are everywhere. While you're reading this, there are probably numerous plastic items within your reach (your computer, your pen, your phone). A plastic is any material that can be shaped or molded into any form. Some are naturally occurring, but most are man-made. Learn more about them.

How iron and steel work.If you had to name the technologies that had the greatest effect on modern society, the refining of the heavy metal element iron would have to be near the top. Iron makes up a huge array of modern products, especially the carbon-rich one, which we call steel. Learn more.

Estimated time left for metals.Giant chart showing that a looming future without underground metal reserves is not too far away. With additional charts about the rates of consumption and recycling of many widely used metals.

3. The Atmosphere and the Weather

Interactives: Weather.Full lesson on the weather with good coverage of the following topics: atmosphere, water cycle, storms, ice and snow, forecasting and climate change.

Steam powered can crusher.Watch a simple experiment that demonstrates the existence and the power of air pressure, as well as one of its possible uses.

The weirdest clouds that you'll ever see.Cloud formations such as the mammatus, the lenticulars or the so called ufo clouds, among others, are perfect examples of how intricate and different nature can be.

4. The Water and the Hydrosphere

Wikipedia: water portal.All the information about water in the Wkipedia organized in one single place, with links, news, ideas and more. Also check the "Category:Water" link in the "Categories" section to access all the articles in the Wikipedia related to water.

Interactive questions and answers game.A flash animated game with 25 questions about water. You have to choose from three possible answers, and the game lets you know instantly if you have the right answer.

7. Prokaryotes, Protozoa, Algae and Fungi

The Microbe Zoo.Learn about all those microscopic critters that exist everywhere around us.

How extremophiles work.What's your ideal environment? Sunny, 22ºC and a light breeze? How about living in nearly boiling water that's so acidic it eats through metal? Or residing in a muddy, oxygenless soup far saltier than any ocean? If you're an extremophile, that might sound perfect.

8. The Plant Kingdom

What tree is that?Interactive animation that will help you train your tree-identifying skills by analysing a tree's main characteristics. It also contains an identification guide to most trees found in the U.S.A.

British trees.Guide to 33 British native trees. Very good descriptions and clear photos.

Trees in Britain.A pictorial guide for the identification of a selection of trees both native to Britain and naturalised. With a good number of photos for each species.

Dutch tree guide.A wonderful site with lots of info about trees and how to identify them. The link takes you to a gallery of tree flowers, but you can use the left menu to access every other section.

How to press flowers and leaves.Preparing your favorite flowers, weeds or grasses for pressing is not difficult. Once pressed correctly, they can be used on note cards, pictures, bookmarks, or anything that would look nice if decorated.

How to make a leaf rubbing.Leaf rubbing or drawing is an excellent and kid-friendly nature craft. It's suitable for all ages and a great camp project.

The Big Picture: Animal day.A wonderful selection of 38 of the most beautiful and stunning images ever taken of the animal world. A must-see.

The Big Picture: Animals in the news.From a minuscule frog to an albino whale, fluorescent fish to a deep-sea Chimera, collected here are a handful of photographs of animals and our interactions with them, as companions, caretakers, observers, hunters and stewards.

20 of the world's weirdest endangered species.The ugly stepchildren of the animal kingdom don't get much attention compared to the perennial endangered animal favorites like pandas or polar bears. But there are hundreds more animal species on our planet that are critically threatened.

Amedee Coral Reef.360º panoramic view in the Amedee Coral Reef in New Caledonia. Use the arrow keys of your keyboard to rotate the image, and the Shift and Control keys to zoom in and out.

Dirty energy threat to green Brazil.Brazil boasts of being one of the world's "greenest" energy suppliers, but recent policy initiatives could jeopardise its desire to be a big player in future climate change discussions.

The big thirst.Article in The New York Times pondering the worrying future of our most wanted fuel: oil.

How oil refining works.Great review on one of the most important industrial processes in our society. With images and videos.

5 myths about wind energy.Wind energy might be the simplest renewable energy to understand. Yet there are misconceptions about what makes it turn.

Windfarms unlikely to threaten birds.Conservation groups have raised fears that large birds could get caught in the turbines and that these structures could disturb other species. But this idea is slowly fading away. Learn why.

US geothermal energy.Enhanced Geothermal Systems is an initiative meant to harness all the power of the subsurface heat to produce electricity and heat. This Google Earth file shows all the potential of this kind of energy in the United States. There is a video describing the project at YouTube.

How hydrogen cars work.The car of the future is here today. It doesn't use gasoline and it doesn't pollute the air. In fact, it produces steam instead of exhaust. And the mystery fuel? Hydrogen, the simplest and most abundant element in the Universe.

3. Heat and Temperature

6. Chemical Changes

The golden book of chemistry experiments.Probably many of them are not the ones you should try at home without the supervision of an adult; still, it is an amazing resource with a wealth of information if you dream to become a professional chemist some day.

Foxgloves.The foxglove is a marvellous example of a plant which is adapted to be pollinated by insects. Learn how certain parts of this plant have been specially modified over time so that it is able to attract insects.

11. The Ecosphere and the Ecosystems

Jack and the beanstalk.Cartoon film that uses the traditional pantomime story of "Jack and The Beanstalk" to link different types of feeding relationship. Includes reference to autotrophs, herbivores, carnivores, parasites, symbionts and saprotrophs.

Marine food web.Interactive activity to place different marine species in their correct trophic levels.

World biomes interactive map.Another great interactive map to see the occurence and learn the main characteristics of the world's biomes. With many activities.

Biodiversity hotspots.Google Earth file showing information about the Earth's 34 Biodiversity Hotspots, as defined by Conservation International. These are the most important areas for conservation, with very large numbers of endemic species. Each of the hotspots has lost more than 70% of its original forest.

Protected Planet.Protected Planet lets you view the world's protected areas on a Google Map. If you click on one of the mapped protected areas then you are taken to a close-up of the selected area, which includes photographs, points of interest in the area and links to related protected areas.

WWF - Have fun while making a point.Are you looking for games to find out more about key conservation issues such as endangered species, global warming and pollution? If you are, then go right ahead and indulge yourself!

Recycle City.See how the people of Dumptown turned their town around, reducing waste and saving money or play the Dumptown game and create your own scavenger hunt.

How composting works.Composting is a method that transforms solid organic waste into a product that can benefit the environment as a natural fertilizer for gardening and farming. Learn more.

How do you clean up an oil spill?Despite stricter penalties and better ship design, oil spills haven't been eliminated. And when they happen, what can be done to clean up that mess?

ESO 3. Biology and Geology

1. Organization of Living Matter

The chemistry of life: the human body.You are what you eat. But do you remember munching some molybdenum or snacking on selenium? Some 60 chemical elements are found in the body, but what all of them are doing there is still unknown.

Zygote body.On Zygote Body you can view the underlying anatomical layers one by one using a slider, switch on labels to identify each body part, use the search box as a search engine for any body part (muscles, organs, bones etc), and what's more, you can also share the exact scene you are viewing by copying and pasting the URL. As of writing this, the website will only work in Firefox and Chrome browsers.

Human body & mind.The BBC's webpage is a resource rich place to discover and play interactive games while learning all about the human body. The games include Senses challenge, Organs Game, Skeleton Game, Muscle Game and Nervous System Game. The games are superbly designed and mostly involve dropping a body part onto a human figure.

Artificial anatomy.This one is not a fully fledged anatomical course, but a cool and short 10 question quiz on different body parts. It is a Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History resource. With a mouse rollover you have to match the thumbnail with its location on the skeletal structure named 'Jerome'. You can also turn Jerome around for another view.

Anatomy of the human body.The Bartleby.com edition of Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body features 1,247 vibrant engravings—many in color—from the classic 1918 publication, as well as a subject index with 13,000 entries.

2. Nutrition in Humans

The digestive system at Web-books.com.A good overview, with text and images, on all the organs of the digestive system and their work. The left menu contains a link to a wide series of digestive diseases.

The digestive system at Faqs.org.Another wide overview, with text and images, on all the organs of the digestive system and their work, the digestive diseases, a glossary and additional readings.

The digestive system.To dig deeper, visit this website with lots of info and images on the digestive system.

We are more microbe than man.About a 90% of your cells are not yours: they are bacteria, most of which live in your intestines. Learn why. You can also listen to the embedded audio version of the article.

Why does my stomach growl?Whether you call it grumbling, rumbling, gurgling or growling, from time to time everybody's belly chimes in. Learn why.

The respiratory system at Web-books.com.A good overview, with text and images, on all the organs of the respiratory system and their work. The left menu contains a link to a wide series of respiratory diseases.

The respiratory system at Faqs.org.Another wide overview, with text and images, on all the organs of the respiratory system and their functions, the respiratory disorders, a glossary and additional readings.

The cardiovascular system at Web-books.com.A good overview, with text and images, on all the organs of the circulatory system and their work. The left menu contains a link to a wide series of cardiovascular diseases.

The blood at Web-books.com.A good overview on the blood, its cells and their work. The left menu contains a link to a wide series of blood diseases.

The cardiovascular system at Faqs.org.Another wide overview, with text and images, on all the organs of the circulatory system and their work, the blood, the cardiovascular disorders, a glossary and additional readings.

How blood works.Detailed description of the composition and the function of the human blood. It contains two animations that start on page load… you might want to stop and restart them after reading the texts.

How food works.A lot of interesting and detailed info about the main human nutrients. It contains some images and one animation that starts on page load… you might want to stop and restart it after reading the texts.

3. Interaction in Humans

The nervous system at Web-books.com.Very good overall view, with images and text, on the nervous system: cells, organs and organization. The left menu contains a link to a wide series of neurological diseases.

The nervous system at Faqs.org.Another wide overall view, with text and images, on the neurons, the organs of the nervous system and their functions, the nervous disorders, a glossary and additional readings.

Neuroscience for kids.Absolutely comprehensive site to learn everything about the neurones, the nervous system, the brain habilities, drugs, diseases… With an extensive table of contents at the top.

The brain from top to bottom.Amazing resource that covers all sorts of topics related to the human brain: organisation, memory, emotions, senses, body movement... All of them in three different levels of deepness.

The brain museum.Lots of images of both the whole brain and of cross-sections of it. Through the left menu you can access images of brains of many other mammals.

Brain pictures.A set of 9 pictures that tell different stories about the way your nervous system works.

Inside Bill Moorier's head.In his own words: "In September 2009 my doctor recommended an MRI to rule-out a couple of potential conditions. The scan came back completely normal, which was a great relief! I decided to do something with the images, and spent a fun weekend writing this MRI explorer".

The special senses at Faqs.org.Good and wide overview, with text and images, on the eye, the ear, the sense of smell, the sense of taste, and the way they all work. Also with a description af the main sensorial pathologies, a glossary and additional readings.

The eye.Drag and drop labelling activity of the main parts of the eye.

Anatomy of the eye.Highly informative interactive animation to learn the parts of the eye and their functions.

Magenta ain't a colour.Which comes to prove that your brain is tricking you. Learn the difference between reality and the image your brain composes of it through this interesting article on colours.

The ear.Drag and drop labelling activity of the main parts of the ear.

The ear at Web-books.com.Very good overall view, with images and text, on the ear, its sections and its functions. The left menu contains a link to a wide series of ear diseases.

The skin at Web-books.com.Very good overall view, with images and text, on the skin and all its layers. The left menu contains a link to a wide series of skin diseases.

The flight or fight response.Travel inside the body and see how cell signaling brings about physiological changes during the fight or flight response.

The endocrine system at Web-books.com.Very good overall view, with images and text, on the endocrine glands and their hormones. The left menu contains a link to a wide series of endocrine diseases.

The endocrine system at Faqs.org.Another wide overall view, with text and images, on all the endocrine glands and the way they work, the hormones and their effects, the endocrine disorders, a glossary and additional readings.

The endocrine system.To dig deeper, visit this website with lots of info and images on the endocrine system.

eSkeletons.eSkeletons isn't only about understanding human anatomy. It is an interactive comparative tool that enables a student to view the bones of both human and non-human primates and to learn more about them. Selecting the human skeleton on the homepage starts the anatomical study. A mouseover on the skeleton selects a specific bone for a closer look.

The muscular system at Faqs.org.A wide and good overall view, with text and images, on the muscular system, the muscular cells, the main muscles, and the way they all work. Also with a description of the main muscular disorders, a glossary and additional readings.

The skeletal system at Faqs.org.A wide and good overall view, with text and images, on the skeletal system, the main bones, the joints, and the way they all work. Also with a description of the main skeletal disorders, a glossary and additional readings.

Antagonistic pairs.Simple dragging activity to watch the antagonistic behaviour of the brachial biceps and triceps.

Ball and socket joint.Move the femur in the hip joint forwards and backwards as well as from side to side by moving the trackball.

Learn the bones.Interactive activity to check your knoledge on the human skeleton.

4. Reproduction in Humans

Male reproductive system at Web-books.com.Very good overall view, with images and text, on the male reproductive system, with its organs and their functions. The left menu contains a link to a wide series of reproductive diseases.

Female reproductive system at Web-books.com.Very good overall view, with images and text, on the female reproductive system, with its organs and their functions. The left menu contains a link to a wide series of reproductive diseases.

The reproductive system at Faqs.org.Another wide overall view, with text and images, on all the organs of the male and female reproductive systems and the way they work, sexual hormones, birth control methods, embrionary development, the reproductive system disorders, a glossary and additional readings.

5. Health and Disease

Top 10 weirdest prescription drug side effects.Most of us take prescription drugs: if all goes well, the drug works for you as it's supposed to. But there's no drug that works the same for everyone without any risks or side effects. Learn about some of the scariest ones.

40 common minerals and their uses.It is actually a collection of links to fact sheets on minerals, chemical elements and even some rock, and a great place to go when looking for information on those most commonly in use.

2. Heredity and Transmission

Learn Genetics.From the basics to the hottest current topics: a vast bank of easy to follow learning resources on Genetics.

Interactives: DNA.Excellent full lesson on DNA with interactive activities and good coverage of the following topics: genetics, discovery of DNA, Human Genome Project, Genetic Engineering, and implications and ethics.

Cloning.Simple and clear animation showing the main steps to take in animal cloning.

How cloning works.Simple and easy to understand introduction to cloning in plants, animals and humans.

How human cloning will work.Today, after more than a decade since Dolly, human cloning remains in its infancy and under governmental restraints. Nevertheless, science is headed in that direction. Learn how the inevitable human cloning future will be.

Understanding Evolution.An even better and wider collection of articles to tell you everything you ever wanted to know about Evolution and never dared to ask. The Evolution 101 course is just the perfect introduction to the topic, nicely complemented with good quality images.

What is the last common ancestor?If you suddenly find yourself in the company of paleoanthropologists or swamped by news of the latest hominid fossil find, there's a good chance you'll hear the phrase last common ancestor. But what is this enigmatic person or thing?

What separates humans from chimps and other apes?When we stare at gorillas and chimpanzees, we see aspects of ourselves: the bestial, the innocent, the savage and the adorable. And the truth is that we actually have a great deal in common with apes. Learn how much and what makes us different.

Top 10 signs of evolution in modern man.Through history, as natural selection played its part in the development of modern man, many of the useful functions and parts of the human body become unnecessary. What is most fascinating is that many of these parts of the body still remain in some form so we can see the progress of evolution. This list covers the ten most significant evolutionary changes that have taken place, leaving signs behind them.

Why we are as we are.Can Darwin's insights explain human behaviour and be used profitably by policy makers?

5. Plant Physiology

Transpiration.Very detailed interactive animation showing how transpiration takes place in plants and which are the factors that have an influence on it. You can also read the lesson text.

How global warming works.Learn what global warming is, what causes it, what its current effects are and what the future effects could be.

Global warming.Very comprehensive article at Encyclopaedia Britannica online on the concept of global warming, its causes and potential effects, climate research and climate policy.

Climate hot map.Know the global warming effects around the globe, understand how these impacts are produced and learn which actions can be taken to stop them.

Earth's changing climate.Two maps from NationalGeographic.com that show how temperatures are rising and how precipitations are dropping out.

Climate change in our world.Google Earth file showing how climate change and global temperature rises could affect our world over the next 100 years.

Climate challenge.A game where you are president of the European Nations. You must tackle climate change and stay popular enough with the voters to remain in office.

Clim'Way.Another game about helping the community reach some specific climate goals. You have to create a climate plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by a certain percentage in a certain time frame. Your plans can include setting up alternative energy sources, reducing human consumption etc.

What happened to global warming?This title may come as a bit of a surprise, so too might the fact that the warmest year recorded globally was not in 2008 or 2007, but in 1998. But it is true.

Climate scepticism: the top 10.What are some of the reasons why "climate sceptics" dispute the evidence that human activities are bringing potentially dangerous changes to the Earth's climate, ant their counter-arguments?

Ozone hole watch.Where you can check on the latest status of the ozone layer over the South Pole.

Massive earthquake hits Japan.An 8.9-magnitude earthquake hit off the east coast of Japan on 11 March 2011. The quake, one of the largest in History, triggered a 10 meter tall tsunami that battered Japan's coast, killing thousands and sweeping away cars, homes, buildings, and boats.

Japan quake map.Google Map that shows the magnitude and depth of each recorded Japanese quake since March 11th, 2011. The size of the displayed polygons reflects the magnitude of each individual earthquake and its colour reflects the depth.

Earthquakes in the last 24 hours.Google Map displaying earthquakes around the world that have occurred in the last 24 hours. On first load, the map will animate through the mapped earthquakes, starting from the most recent. You can stop the animation at any time simply by pressing the forward or back buttons. The information window for each quake displays the size of the earthquake and the time of occurrence.

Science Helpdesk is a website meant to help on developing the scientific contents of the Bilingual Project Integrated Curriculum designed by the Spanish Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia and the British Council.

Science Helpdesk is designed, developed and published by Arturo J. Murias, currently working in the I.E.S. Arribes de Sayago (Bermillo de Sayago, Zamora, Spain) as a Science teacher in Secondary Education.

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Parts of this site (specifically photos and videos) are used without permission, but within fair use, for the purposes of education. Copyright of those contents belong to their authors, mentioned where known. The contents created by the author of this website can be freely distributed under the terms of a Creative Commons License.

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It is a curious situation that the sea, from which life first arose, should now be threatened by the activities of one form of that life.